Has any one had this diagnosed in their Utonagan or any form of Auto Immune disorder?? BUA are trying to collate as much background info as possible as 2 of our dogs (one my young 18 month old) have just been diagnosed in the space of a month? PM me if you dont want to put it public... all help would be very gratefully received.
We had serious problems with Fingal when he was young. Initial tests led the vet and the consultant to think (adrenal gland) he may well have Addisons however further tests were required before they could confirm this. He took a turn for the worse and the vet decided there and then to put him on a course of steroids in an attempt to improve him as he was on his way out. Whilst nothing was confirmed there and then he responded almost imediately to what she termed urgently required 'non-specific' auto-imune treatment. His red blood cells and white blood cells were haywire and he would just collapse as if was drunk or asleep. He spent about two years on the steroids and had a few dips but since he was about 4 (he's now 10) the syptoms never returned. Never did figure out exactly what it was.
Thanks Phil, what kind of dog is Fingal? Sounds like he was fine afterwards? Pagan my young one was in a serious crisis and we nearly lost her her white blood was very low and her blood was thickening, heart slowing down and basically I think she was starting to shut down she was on a drip, fluids and steriods for 4 days at the vet and didnt eat a thing for over a week...she seems to be well on the mend though and her tablets seem to be the right ones for her...fingers crossed.
He's an English Springer Spaniel From memory he had to have 'weaning' type of course - 8 a day for a week, then 7 a day for a week, then 6 a day for a week and so on till he got down to 1 pill. Fortunately the steroids were very cheap. Each time he 'crashed' we had to go back to square one and repeat the process but at least we had found something which he responded too and his response was instant - just involved a long winded course each time.
We had a spaniel in the kennels all u can remember is a lot of medication not a lot of help sori lol x
Just a wee update on my baby girl Pagan, she has been on Florinef 3 a day since her Addies crisis, and seems to be doing well, it seems though that one of the side effects is muscle wastage which she seems to have big time she looks so skinny but when you look properly it is not over her bones but where she used to have muscles, shoulders, thighs etc...have brought her inside and been giving her little and often feeds, tripe, high protein to try and build her up, I know excersise is the best way to build muscle but feel she is just not heavy enough to work at all yet, it will just burn off what i am gradually putting on her.... Any suggestions guys?
(Sounds like my stock answer at the moment but) what about hydrotherapy/physiotherapy? They should be able to devise a programme to help build up the muscle without her burning too much energy?
I was considering hydrotherapy, as there is a lady in the next village has started up, she brought me leaflets into the shop... only thing Im bothered about is She doesnt like swimming will it stress her out too much??
It really depends how they handle her. She should be at least in a life jacket if not in a harness/cradle and she should not be left to trash around and panic - the therapist should be in the water with her. My old boy liked water but hated swimming but he was always fine at his sessions. I think it is important though that you choose one that is a physiotherapist, not just someone who will make your dog swim for half an hour (or whatever period).
Thanks Hali, I will give her a phone tomorrow and see if she is a phys as well I didnt realise they were in the water with them might make her feel better, she toolikes the water but not swimming. Thakns Bint will give that a try too.
I'm very sorry to hear about Pagan. She's not been on medication long - do you think the dosage needs looking into? I hope things improve.
Sorry to hear about Pagen how long has it been since she was diagnosed? our GSD Bracken was diagnosed last March, she went from being normal to having her first 'crisis' so quick and we nearly lost her, it has been a tough year but we're getting there! I don't know how much Pagen weighs but initially the amount of Florinef is given depending on the dogs weight, Bracken weighs around the 30kg mark and when she was first diagnosed was on 7 Florinef a day & 2 steroids (Prednidale). We spent the first 3 months chopping and changing to try and get the correct dose which is normal and during this stage Bracken went into crisis a further 3 times, the last time she went into Crisis was in June and she has been on 7 Florinef (4 in the morning, 3 in the afternoon) and a pred in the morning. We have just recently (Monday) changed the steroid to half a tablet daily. 50% of dogs can come off the steroids but Bracken does have some anxiety issues which have been there since before she was rehomed to us so this added stress will probably always mean she'll be on a dose a steroid. Do you know if Pagen has primary or secondary Addisons as there is a big difference in terms of meds? Bracken has primary addisons and this had destroyed her adrenal gland - this means she finds it difficult to regulate her stress levels so that along side her anxiousness is why she has to have the steroids. In terms of exercise, Bracken is well exercised and nothing has really changed, it took us a few weeks to build her back up after she was diagnosed as she too had muscle weakness but it didn't take too long to get her back to normal. Many addisons dogs continue to be involved in activities such as working trials, agility etc. We've taken Bracken on long group walks without problems, we just make sure we monitor her, particulary her heart rate as we go and ensure she is well hydrated. Although we don't take her to hydrotherapy, it is recommended for dogs with Addisons, esp in the initial stages to help with muscle build up we've put Bracken's story on our website which gives an account of how things happened: http://www.sabroc.co.uk/page_14.html we're happy to help in any way we can with questions etc
Thanks guys... Pagan was diagnosed at Xmas, she went poorly the week before but myself and the vets thought she had eaten something as she had a sore mouth, then we thought it was an infection, then she got really poorly over a couple o days and collapsed, she was on a drip for 2 days of fluids and then my vet started testing her bloods, her heart rate had fallen and he could pick up a murmer, firstly he thought her rate was slow as she was a really fit dog and seemingly this is a natural thing dogs do slow down when they are ill....eventually he thought to check her for Addisons and it was diagnosed swiftly onto a drip of steriods etc...4 days she was n drips and we honestly thought we were going to lose her, Im not sure if it is primary or secondry?? Her Adrenal gland is destroyed. She has been on 3 Florinef a day and had her bloods done a fortnight ago and seems to be doing fine with regards the dosage, she was about 30kgs but she is probs about 20 just now, she had been off her food over a week prior when we were trying to see what was wrong. She is a very skittish girl anyway which I think doesnt help with her putting weight on, The vets said once she gets her weight back up she should be fine to work, excersice etc, I was hoping to do rigging with her but will wait and see. Im sort off between giving her more excersice to build her up and also as she is climbing the walls... but scared to burn off all the calories Im putting on her at the mo, my concerns are how much stress can she cope with ie..will a normal fright send her into crisis, etc, I will go red your site and check back in...Im upto my eyes today... Speak asap...and thanks again your help will be most appreciated.
sounds like primary as the adrenal gland is destroyed. A normal fright shouldn't send her into the crisis but you are still in that stage where you're testing and adjusting the meds, whilst in this stage most vets will advise you to try and give her a normal life as its important to learn her limits and what will send he towards crisis mode, otherwise she'll get used to a certain dosage and when you begin to go back to normal everyday life, the dosage will perhaps be out? perhaps something to discuss with your vet? we've always said that perhaps the most difficult thing about Addisons is the emotional impact it's had on us, all the worry with watching every move, its not easy but yoy get get used to it and it becomes the normal. If we can help in anyway, just let us know
